News & Events

News that the Fort Collins' Rio reopened with a new look and feel on May 19, 2022! North Forty News, “Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant Returns to its Original Location in Fort Collins on May 19” - Published May 9, 2022 The Coloradoan, “Fort Collins Rio Grande Restaurant Opens May 19” - Published May 18, 2022 North Forty News, “‘The Rio Moves Back After Fire: Extensive Remodel and Same Great Service, Food, Drinks” - Published May [...]

Have you ever wanted to enjoy a specialty Rio margarita from the comfort of your own home? Well, now you can! Recently, our Food & Beverage Director, Erich Whisenhunt met with the Bartender Magazine team to showcase this delicious Rio margarita recipe in their signature cocktail edition! Ingredients: 6 oz. ice 2 oz. tequila, Maestro Dobel Diamante tequila is preferred/recommended 1 oz. orange liqueur 2 oz. fresh blood orange citrus mix Juice from half a [...]

    Pat McGaughran, Founder & Owner | Summer of 1986. The Challenger Space Shuttle disaster had rocked our nation earlier in the year. The Chernobyl Nuclear disaster left us wondering if we’d survive. Many of us were rocking mullets and mustaches. We were listening to Hungry Like a Wolf by Duran Duran. Yes, frightening and uncertain times. And yet we opened a joint for friends, family and our community to gather and celebrate life [...]

The Rio: A Keto Restaurant Near You! When you think TexMex, you probably envision tortillas, rice, beans, and chips and salsa - not the most keto-friendly foods around. So you’re probably asking, “I can eat keto at the Rio? Are you sure?” We can assure you, the Rio is a keto-friendly restaurant - with enchiladas, fajitas AND burritos! TLDR; Keto-friendly options to order: Keto appetizers guacamole w/ fresh cut veggies salsa w/ fresh cut veggies [...]

Practice Earth Kindness  This is one of the Rio’s core values - to care for our planet while we care for our staff and guests. Since it’s beginning, the Rio has always been passionate about the environment and making every possible effort to follow environmentally sustainable practices. Among the most core values at the center of the Rio as a company, caring for the Earth is held high on the list. In fact, The Rio [...]

A Google search will tell you that a basic margarita recipe is tequila, lime juice, and triple sec, but when you Google search “Rio’s margarita recipe” - there are a few theories that come up: "There’s definitely Apple juice" "Everclear is added to make it so strong" "A specific brand of lime juice" While these are all pretty good guesses… none of them are actually accurate!  Here’s the scoop on our legendary margaritas: Our margarita [...]

As you know, we’re big fans of tequila - the spirit itself and the city in Mexico. Every year, we take our MargMob winners to Tequila, Mexico for a few days to learn all about the spirit of the Rio. We’ve been visiting and inspired by this Mexican city for well over 30 years and are stoked to share it with our biggest Rio fans. Where is tequila made? Most Tequilas come from the state [...]

We all know tequila is a necessity when it comes to creating Colorado’s best margarita, but as “the Spirit of the Rio” it is so much more to us than just a margarita ingredient. The Rio carries over 60 different tequilas -- all hand-selected and tested by the leadership team (it’s a tough job). Our tequilas vary by age, origin and even flavor profiles. Check them out below.   Our very favorites (and most special) [...]

Founded by three gents from Texas, the Rio has been serving signature Tex-Mex dishes since the ‘80’s. Let’s take a moment to clarify just what it means when you dine at a Rio restaurant... Just what IS Tex-Mex food? Tex-Mex is exactly as it sounds: Mexican food with a Texan spin. It obviously started in Texas, given the incredibly close proximity to Mexico. Texans started making Mexican food themselves but would add quintessential Texan [...]